The Scottish Government

1 in 100 year event

An event that has a probability of occurring once every 100 years. Also expressed as an event, which has a 1% probability of occurring in any one year.

Annual Exceedence Probability ( AEP)

The probability of a flood of a certain magnitude occurring in any one year.

Area Flood Management Plans ( AFMP)

These are plans that set the strategic framework for flood risk management in Scotland. The plans coordinate flood management objectives across Scotland, and set the framework in which measures are delivered or planned for at a local level.

Benefit/Cost Analysis

Comparison of present value scheme benefits and costs as part of an economic appraisal. The benefit-cost ratio is the total present value benefits divided by the total present value costs.

Catchment Flood Management Plan ( CFMP)

A large scale strategic planning document prepared by the Environment Agency in England and Wales that identifies long-term sustainable policies for the holistic management of flood risks in a defined river catchment or group of related catchments.

Catchment or Catchment Area

The specific land area that drains into a watercourse.

Civil Contingencies

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and accompanying regulations and non-legislative measures, deliver a single framework for civil protection in the United Kingdom capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century. The Act is separated into two substantive parts:
Part 1 focuses on local arrangements for civil protection, establishing a statutory framework of roles and responsibilities for local responders.
Part 2 focuses on emergency powers, establishing a modern framework for the use of special legislative measures that might be necessary to deal with the effects of the most serious emergencies.

Climate Change

Long-term changes in climate specifically linked to those changes resulting from human intervention in atmospheric processes through, for example, the release of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels.

Controlled Activities Regulations ( CAR)

A reference to The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2005. All engineering works in or in the vicinity of rivers, lochs and wetlands now require authorisation under the CAR Regulations. This includes any work by local authorities to manage flood risk, and works by others that have the potential to increase flood risk. In considering applications under CAR, SEPA assess whether new activities will increase flood risk to homes and businesses. SEPA can refuse applications where flood risk cannot be mitigated.

Crown Application

A reference to whether or not a specific Act applies to the Crown or Crown properties and whether or not the Crown must comply with the legislation.

Crown Exemption

A reference to whether or not a specific Act exempts the Crown or Crown properties, and whether or not the Crown needs to comply with the legislation.

Culvert

A closed conduit used for the conveyance of surface drainage water under a roadway, railroad, canal, or other impediment.

Daylighting

Opening-up of previously culverted watercourses.

DEFRA

DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is a UK Government Department. DEFRA has eight Departmental Strategic Objectives which describe everything they do, and which will are used to manage performance.
Climate change tackled internationally and through domestic action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
A healthy, resilient, productive & diverse natural environment
Sustainable patterns of consumption and production
Economy and society resilient to environmental risk and adapted to the impacts of climate change
A thriving farming and food sector, with an improving net environmental impact
Championing Sustainable Development across government, across the UK, and internationally
Strong rural communities
A respected department delivering efficient and high quality services and outcomes.

Diffuse Pollution

Pollution which originates from various activities and which cannot be traced to a single source e.g. contaminated run off from built up areas.

Do-Nothing Scenario

An option used in benefit/cost analysis to act as a baseline against which all other options are tested. It assumes no active intervention. In the case of existing works it assumes walk-away: cease all maintenance, repairs and other activities immediately. In the case of new works it assumes that there is no intervention in natural processes. Politically this is often seen as a non-viable option but it is an important comparison tool in benefit-cost analysis.

EC Floods Directive

The EC Directive on the Assessment and Management of Flood Risks or EC Floods Directive builds on and is closely related to the Water Framework Directive. It is now in force but does not have to be implemented by Member States until 2009. The Directive creates a 3-step approach to flood management. Member states will first have to undertake a preliminary flood risk assessment. Where a significant flood risk exists, the competent authority/ies will need to develop a flood map and flood risk management plans must then be drawn up for these zones. The management plans should include measures to reduce the probability of flooding and so its potential consequences. The plans will also need to address all phases of the flood risk management cycle but focus particularly on prevention, protection and preparation.

Economic Appraisal

An appraisal that takes into account a wide range of costs and benefits, generally those which can be valued in monetary terms.

Embankment

Artificial raising of the natural bank height of a waterway.

Environment

Where environmental issues are referred to in this document, this term is used to encompass landscape and visual, flora, fauna, geological or geomorphological features and buildings, air, water, sites and objects of archaeological, architectural or historical interest. (It is recognised that in other contexts the environment has much wider implications).

Environmental Appraisal

The process whereby the effects of a proposal on the natural or manmade environment are identified, measured and assessed to determine their significance.

Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA)

Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA) is a process which identifies the environmental effects (both negative and positive) of development proposals. It aims to prevent, reduce and offset any adverse impacts.

FIAC: Flooding Issues Advisory Committee

The Flooding Issues Advisory Committee ( FIAC) was a stakeholder group established to provide advice to Ministers on flood risk management issues. It was set up by the Scottish Executive in April 2005 to advise Scottish Ministers on flood related issues and to continue the work of NTAG.

FLAG: Flood Liaison and Advice Group

A non statutory advisory group of public and private sector representatives, convened by Councils to share concerns and knowledge and to provide advice on a wide range of planning and other flooding issues in an informal setting. FLAGs were formerly called Flood Appraisal Groups under the 1995 NPPG. The new name better describes their roles.

Flood Alleviation

Measures which are designed to reduce or remove the risk of flooding.

Flood Risk and Hazard Mapping ( FRHM)

Mapping delineating the areas that have been predicted to be at risk of being
flooded during an event of specified probability.

Flood Risk Management Plans ( FRMP)

High-level planning strategies through which key decision makers within a river catchment identify and agree policies to secure the long-term sustainable management of flood risk.

Floodplains

Floodplains are land areas adjacent to rivers and streams that are subject to recurring inundation.

Fluvial Flooding

Flooding which is caused by a river or a watercourse.

Forestry Commission

The Forestry Commission is a Department of the UK Government. They are the government department responsible for the protection and expansion of Britain's forests and woodlands. The objective of the Forestry Commission GB is to take the lead, on behalf of all three administrations, in the development and promotion of sustainable forest management and to support its achievement nationally.
In England, Scotland and Wales the organisation has its own strategy and mission, and delivers the forestry policy of each country through specific objectives drawn from the country forestry strategies.

Glasgow Strategic Drainage Plan

Following severe flooding in July 2002, Glasgow City Council instigated a Strategic Drainage Plan. The key objectives of the GSDP are Flood Risk Reduction, Water Quality Improvement, Removal of Development Constraints, Habitat Improvement and Integrated Investment Planning.

Greenhouse Gases

Naturally occurring gases, such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and ozone, and man-made gases like chlorofluorocarbons, which absorb some of the sun's radiation and convert it into heat.

Hazard

A situation with the potential to result in harm. A hazard does not necessarily lead to harm.

Impoundment

Any dam, weir, or other works by which surface water may be impounded; or any works diverting surface waters in connection with the construction or alteration of any dam, weir or other works falling within (a) above. Raising the level of an existing natural loch is also considered an impoundment. A pond or lake created by excavation below the pre-existing ground level ( e.g. a dug pond or flooded quarry) is not included.

Instream River Structures

All structures that occupy a portion of the channel.

Inundation Maps

A map delineating the area that would be submerged in the event of a specific flood risk.

Local Flood Management Plans

Local Flood Management Plans would translate the objectives set out in Area Flood Management Plans into catchment focussed, locally targeted combinations of measures to address flood risk.

Loch

An inland body of water formed in a depression on the land surface (usually a loch has a discernable inlet and outlet)

National Flooding Framework ( LFMP)

In October 2002 an Ad Hoc Committee of Ministers, chaired by the Deputy First Minister, was set up to consider the arrangements for addressing flood risk and how advice and support is provided to those at risk from, and affected by, flooding. In February 2003 the Scottish Parliament Cabinet agreed a Statement of Commitments to reduce the risks and impacts of flooding and an action plan in the form of the National Flooding Framework. The National Flooding Framework aims to address the problems of flooding through four areas of action, namely, Awareness, Avoidance, Alleviation, and Assistance.

Natural Flood Management

Natural flood management promotes a subset of flood alleviation techniques that aim to work with natural process to reduce flood risk. Examples of natural techniques include replanting upland forests, reconnecting rivers to their flood plains and restoring wetlands to act as natural sponges for flood waters.

No Regrets Actions

Actions taken to respond to perceived climate change impacts whose consequences both economic and environmental will be beneficial (usually in the short term) without imposing any long-term commitments.

NTAG: National Technical Advisory Group

Established by the Scottish Executive in November 2003 with a one year life span as an expert national group to discuss flooding issues

PFRA ( Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment )

Preliminary Flood Risk Assessments create a national picture of flood risks, which includes consideration of climate change. They provide the information required to undertake a strategic approach to flood management that targets those areas at greatest risk from floods.

Pluvial flooding

Flooding that results from overland flow which has been generated by rainfall before the runoff enters any watercourse or sewer. This is also referred to as surface water flooding.

Post project evaluation

A procedure to review the performance of a project with respect to its original objectives and the manner in which the project was carried out.

Precautionary Principle

An approach which takes avoiding action based on the possibility of significant environmental or other damage, even before there is conclusive evidence that the damage will occur.

Probability

The probability of an outcome is the relative proportion or frequency of events leading to that outcome, out of all possible events.

Qualitative Methods

Approaches which use descriptive rather than numerical values for assessment and decision making.

Quality Management System ( QMS)

Provides a management framework that makes available the necessary controls to address risks and monitor and measure performance.

Reservoir

In the context of water resources, a reservoir is generally understood to be a place where water is retained by usually a man made structure to be reserved, for later use by agriculture, industry and domestic household use.

Reservoir Flood Plans

A flood plan that indicates the extent of the flood risk following an uncontrolled release of water from a reservoir

Reservoirs Act

The Reservoirs Act 1975 is an administrative structure to manage reservoirs, whether constructed or planned, that minimises the risk of water escaping. The Act does not define safety. What it does define is the regime of inspection and the function and responsibilities of who will carry this out.

Residual life of defences

The remaining time until a defence is likely to fail or no longer achieve minimum acceptable performance criteria in terms of serviceability or structural strength.

Residual risk

The risk which remains after risk management and mitigation. May include, for example, risk due to very severe (above design standard) storms, or risks from unforeseen hazards.

Resilience

Resilience means: 'ability to recover quickly and easily'. The Scottish Government uses it to deliver the 'four As': Awareness + Avoidance + Alleviation + Assistance.

Return Period (Annual Exceedence Probability)

The flood return period is a measure of the rarity of an event: the longer the return period, the rarer the event. It is the average length of time (usually in years) separating flood events of a similar magnitude taken over a very long period. Sometimes this is referred to as the recurrence interval. The term Flood Return Period is now commonly expressed as the percentage probability of a flood event of a particular magnitude occurring in any one year - the Annual Exceedence Probability ( AEP). Thus a 200 year Return Period Flood Event is now expressed as the 0.5% AEP flood event.

Risk

A combination of both the likelihood and consequences of an event.

Risk Assessment

Consideration of the risks inherent in a project, leading to the development of action to control them.

River Basin District

In Scotland there are 2 River Basin Districts identified under the 2003 Act - one for the Solway/Tweed area and one covering the rest of Scotland. The latter district is subdivided for planning purposes into 9 subdistricts

River Basin Management Planning

River basin planning is a new strategic decision-making process introduced by the Water Framework Directive ( WFD) which integrates the management of land and water within river basin districts ( RBDs). The Directive requires the preparation of a River Basin Management Plan ( RBMP) for each River Basin District in the European Union. It also specifies that interested parties must be encouraged to become actively involved in river basin planning and that the implementation process should be open and inclusive.

Scottish National Heritage ( SNH)

Scottish National Heritage. SNH is a Non-Departmental Public Body answerable to the responsible Minister and the First Minister, and through them to the Scottish Parliament. Their mission is to work with the people of Scotland to care for our natural heritage.

Scottish Water

Scottish Water is a publicly owned business, answerable to the Scottish Parliament and the people of Scotland. It offers a new public sector model in the UK water industry and Scottish Water aims to be as efficient and effective as water companies in the private sector.
It plays a key role in protecting the nation's health by providing water and waste water services 365 days per year to 2.2 million households across an area that is one third of the size of Britain.
Scottish Water is managed by an Executive Board consisting of five executive and eight non executive members, answerable to the Scottish Parliament.

Sea Level Rise

The rise in sea levels due to global warming causing thermal expansion of the oceans and to a lesser extent from melting of the ice caps and glaciers. Relative sea level rise refers to the effective change in sea level relative to the land surface and takes account also of long-term land movement.

Sensitivity testing

Method in which the impact on the output of an analysis is assessed by systematically changing the input values

SEPA

Scottish Environment Protection Agency. SEPA is the public body responsible for environmental protection in Scotland. Its main aim is to provide an efficient and integrated environmental protection system for Scotland that will both improve the environment and contribute to the Scottish Ministers' goal of sustainable development.
SEPA was established by the Environment Act 1995. It became operational on 1 April 1996. The Environment Act 1995 also sets out SEPA's powers and responsibilities.
In broad terms, SEPA regulates:
Activities that may pollute water.
Activities that may pollute air.
Storage, transport and disposal of waste.
Keeping and disposal of radioactive materials.
Some of SEPA's other principal responsibilities include:
Maintaining a flood warning system.
Implementing the National Waste Strategy.
Controlling, with the Health and Safety Executive, the risk of major accidents at industrial sites.
Operating the Scottish part of the Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network.
SEPA also works with many other organisations to help protect and improve the environment.

Sewer Flooding

Flooding caused by a blockage or overflowing in a sewer or urban drainage
system.

Shoreline Management Plan ( SMP)

In accordance with Defra, the objectives and general principles of SMPs are to:
Set out the risks from flooding and erosion to people and the developed, historic and natural environment within the SMP area.
Identify opportunities to maintain and improve the environment by managing the risks from floods and coastal erosion.
Identify the preferred policies for managing risks from floods and erosion over the next century.
Identify the consequences of putting the preferred policies into practice.
Set out procedures for monitoring how effective these policies are.
Inform others so that future land use, planning and development of the shoreline takes account of the risks and the preferred policies.
Discourage inappropriate development in areas where the flood and erosion risks are high.
Meet international and national nature conservation legislation and aim to achieve the biodiversity objectives

Strategic Approach

Any process or element of a process undertaken in a holistic or comprehensive (strategic) way whilst not being to any great level of detail.

Strategic Flood Risk Assessment ( SFRA)

A Strategic Flood Risk Assessment ( SFRA) is designed for the purposes of specifically informing the Development Planning Process, i.e. Local Plans. A SFRA involves the collection, analysis and presentation of all existing and readily available flood risk information (from any source) for the area of interest. It constitutes a strategic overview of flood risk,

Strategic Framework

A planning structure which has been developed using strategic principles within which layers of consistent and interrelated plans and strategies can be developed.

Strategic Objectives

The Scottish Government has defined 5 main strategic objectives which map a Scotland that is wealthier and fairer, smarter, healthier, safer and stronger, and greener.

Strategy Plan

A long-term (usually 50 years or more) documented plan for flood management, including all necessary work to meet defined flood for the target area.

Sustainability

The degree to which flood and coastal flood management solutions avoid tying future generations into inflexible and or expensive flood management options. This will usually include consideration of interrelationships with other flood management measures and likely developments and processes within a catchment or coastal cell. It will also take account of long-term demands for non-renewable materials.

Sustainable Development

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Sustainable Economic Growth

Defined as building a dynamic and growing economy that will provide prosperity and opportunities for all, while ensuring that future generations can enjoy a better quality of life also.

Sustainable Flood Management ( SFM)

Sustainable flood management provides the maximum possible social and economic resilience against flooding, by protecting and working with the environment, in a way which is fair and affordable both now and in the future

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems ( SUDS),

A set of techniques designed to slow the flow of water, can contribute to reducing flood risk by absorbing some of the initial rainfall, and then releasing it gradually, thereby reducing the flood peak and helping to mitigate downstream problems, and make a useful contribution to a flood management strategy

The Pitt Report

This independent report was commissioned by HM Government in the wake of the severe flooding of summer 2007.

Urban Drainage Plan

A coordinated sustainable strategy to deal with all types of drainage from urban areas.

Water Framework Directive ( WFD)

The Water Framework Directive ( WFD) is the most substantial piece of EC water legislation to date and establishes integrated river basin management for Europe. It requires all inland and coastal waters to reach "good status" by 2015. It will do this by establishing a river basin district structure within which demanding environmental objectives will be set, including ecological targets for surface waters.
The Directive came into force on 22 December 2000. The Directive sets out a timetable for both initial transposition into laws of Member States and thereafter for the implementation of requirements.

Weir

An overflow structure that is used for controlling upstream water level. Passive weirs are weirs not associated with abstraction (their only purpose is to raise water level upstream of the impounding structure).

WEWS Act or Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003

Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003. An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision for protection of the water environment, including provision for implementing European Parliament and Council Directive 2000/60/ EC. Also to amend the Sewerage (Scotland) Act 1968 and the Water (Scotland) Act 1980 in relation to the provision of water and sewerage services, and for connected purposes.

Whole Life Costs

The total costs associated with a scheme for its full design and potential residual life span, taking proper account of all aspects of design, construction, maintenance and external impacts. A particularly useful approach in helping to determine economic sustainability when used to compare the relative costs of long-life schemes such as flood defences and where decisions between short-term capital costs and long-term maintenance costs need to be made.